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17th Sep 2012 | Cricket

Twenty20 Cricket Tips: Brendon McCullum

The leading run scorer in the history of the game, he scores quickly and frequently.

We are about to start the fourth edition of the Twenty20 World Cup and there are some definite trends starting to emerge in the game. If we look at the top-3 run scorers from the last three world cups, there are certain criteria that stand out.

Play for a ‘big-8’ team
I’m afraid that rules out players from Ireland, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Ireland and Bangladesh have managed to get out of the first group stage before but haven’t been able to make an impact in the second round. It might be the newest form of cricket but the old powerhouses still dominate.

Average over 24 runs per match
Apart from Misbah-ul-haq who finished third in the 2007 world cup charts, the leading run scorers tend to average over 24 runs per game. The higher up the order they bat, the more opportunities they get and the more runs they score.

Strike rate above 122
Apart from Misbah-ul-haq, the leading run scorers all fit this trend. To succeed at T20 cricket you must be able to score quickly.

Batting average above 30.0
Batting average might not seem like an obvious metric but it offers us a measure of scoring consistency, thus increasing our chances of picking a winner.

Players that fit all four trends:
T20 run scorers

Of the ten players on the short list New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum really stands out. He is the leading run scorer in the history of the game and one of the stars of the IPL.

A brutal batsman, McCullum can take a bowling side apart using his strength to clear the boundary. He has five T20 centuries to his name with a best of 158* in the IPL. Just one innings of such magnitude would almost certainly see us make a profit on the market.

At 33/1 (BetVictor) he is cracking each-way value to be the tournament’s leading run scorer, with ¼ odds for a top-5 finish.

0.75pt Brendon McCullum e/w 33/1 with BetVictor
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Odds correct at time of publishing: 16:59 17th Sep, 2012 but subject to change